Recommended external monitors for a MacBook Pro?

I'm looking into buying a MacBook Pro and I'm pretty certain that's what I'm going to do now. I'm a graphic designer and about to start a university course which will involve motion graphics, web design, interactive design etc. MacBook Pro seems like a good choice because I'll be able to do all that stuff on it while taking it around from home to university.

But anyway, I'm considering getting the 15" version for portability and having an external monitor at home I can plug into when I need more screen space. The Cinema Display is too expensive for what I want and I don't need anything with a camera in or speakers etc. I just need a good sized monitor with great quality (for designing stuff!). Can anyone recommend some cheaper alternatives?

Being into the design-field, you are probably looking for a screen that at least gives you a "fair" view of colours. Cheaper screens often include poor quality displaypanels, which may alter the colours slightly. Manufacturers often use TN-panels in the cheaper lines. The performance of these panels varies, but (often) cannot match the quality of an IPS panel.

This was also my reason to go for a somewhat more expensive option, just to be sure that i had an IPS panel instead of a TN one. I found the Dell U2410 to match my needs, although it is not much cheaper than the Apple Cinema Display. (Warranty on it is ace, though... next day service if anything breaks down... here in the Netherlands at least). Perhaps you could go for the 20(?) inch version, or get one secondhand?